Modesto man killed in crash near Turlock. Hilmar woman faces manslaughter, DUI charges
A 20-year-old Modesto-area man was killed early Wednesday in a two-vehicle crash south of Turlock, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The collision occurred about 1:30 a.m. in the area of South Walnut Road and West Harding Road. The initial report was that it involved property damage only, with one vehicle blocking the other, according to a CHP news release.
A responding CHP unit then called for an ambulance, and soon advised that the crash was fatal.
According to the incident summary, the Modesto man — identified by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office as Isaac Aguilera — was driving north on Walnut in a 2002 Ford.
He was approaching Harding Road at high speed when he drifted to the east and struck the concrete bridge barrier wall over a Turlock Irrigation District canal. The Ford rolled and came to rest on its roof.
Seconds later, the CHP said, Hilmar resident Amy Cole was heading south on Walnut at high speed and under the influence of a controlled substance. The crash investigation determined that she hit the brakes of her 2011 Hyundai Genesis, causing the front of the car to dip as she struck the Ford.
The impact spun both vehicles, and the front of the Hyundai ripped the Ford in two. The CHP release says the Hyundai tore through the front left of the Ford, “through the driver seat area and had reached through to the driver side trunk area.”
Cole, 45, was placed under arrest. She suffered what the CHP release classified as moderate injuries, including cuts and seat belt abrasion.
Cole remained in custody Thursday afternoon on charges including vehicular manslaughter, DUI causing great bodily injury and driving without a valid license.
This story was originally published August 12, 2020 at 1:20 PM.
